I’ll be honest here, I’ve listened to a lot of genres and subgenres suring my five plus decades on this planet, but Melodic Folk/Death Metal? Well, that’s a new one on me.

This also means I’m probably not well enough versed in the subtleties and nuancess of this particular style of music to be the one reviewing an album like Ginnungagap by Evilon, but never let it be said that I am not constantly challenging myself to explore as far outside of the box as I can crawl. After all, stay in one place for too long and you begin to stagnant.

So going into Ginnungagap blind to the ways of Folk Metal was a gamble, but it was one that paid off as what I found was a decent gateway to a sub-genre I had never explored before.

What struck me first and foremost is that Evilon have managed to find the right balance between the Folk and Metal, which is part of the reason I’ve never delved too deeply into this form of music. If you say Folk to me I instantly think of Bob Dylan, if you say Metal to me… probably Iron Maiden springs to mind, and the thought of those two jamming together isn’t something that I can imagine would sound very good. But, again, that’s on me and my ignorance.

What Evilon manage to achieve with Ginnungagap is a fine blend that doesn’t lean too much into either one, but instead captures the essence of the best of both worlds. Yes, there are pounding drums, thunderous bass, screaming riffs, and throat shredding vocals, but they are offset with softer guitars, choral choirs, gentle keyboards, and sweeping arrangements.

This is at it’s pinnacle during Aurora Borealis, a song that is the standout for me across the entire album and does everything I just said, but cranked up to eleven. It is a gloriously epic track and one that is guaranteed to make my end of year play list.

The blurb that accompanies the album said that with Ginnungagap:

Evilon is going deeper than ever in its new album, when it comes to lores, mythology, creatures, and sagas.

And while I wouldn’t know anything about that – seriously, a lyric sheet never goes amiss – what I do know is that if you are a fan of Folk Metal then I’m pretty sure you’ll love this record and if, like me, you haven’t really dabbled in this sub-genre before, then Ginnungagap by Evilon is a pretty good place to start.

RATING 3.5 OUT OF 5

Ginnungagap by Evilon will be available via Fetzner Death Records on April 4th.

Press source: Davide Pulito The Metallist / PR & Marketing for Heavy Music. Contact Website and email: [email protected]